Good practice

Eric and I have graduated from dog-sitting to babysitting. This past weekend (Thur. through Sunday), we got to watch our 8-month-old, sweet, chubby cheeked, ginger niece Ella. When my brother asked us, I was a little shocked. It had been a looong time since I was responsible for an actual baby for any period of time longer than a couple of hours.

I remember babysitting cute little baby Kelby overnight, but that was about 7 years ago. His parents dropped him off in the evening and ran to the hospital to have Baby #2. I remember him sleeping in bed with us. His fingers were in my mouth (pulling down my bottom lip), and his little body was stretched over mine, but I didn't want to budge because he was just so darn cute, and I didn't want to risk waking him.

I guess we were due for a refresher course. Luckily, Ella spoiled us. She only gets up once in the night, takes her bottle, and then goes right back to sleep, and she doesn't wake up until 9am or so! It's pretty fantastic. She also takes a couple of long naps during the day.

She really was pretty easy...with one exception...she wasn't very fond of Eric. When she first saw Eric stroll into the house, she cried hysterically and continued to just stare at him for a few minutes until finally I had to take her into another room. It was hilarious. Unfortunately, it also got Eric out of a lot of the baby duties (diapers, feedings, etc.). Luckily, toward the end, she started to warm up to him, and he was able to help out a little more (without causing hysterics).

And it was an absolutely beautiful weekend with temperatures in the high 80s! So we definitely took advantage of the weather by going to my nephew's football game, going for long walks, etc.

Thanks for the fun weekend Ella.

Aesop's Wind and Sun Fable

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said: “I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger. You begin.” So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.

“Kindness, gentleness, and persuasion win where force fails.”

News!

Exciting news: Our papers are in, our profile is up, and we can officially announce that ...
we are hoping to adopt

For the past several months, we had been saving our pennies for In Vitro fertilization, but when it came time to move forward with the procedure, we both felt compelled to pursue adoption instead. Once we made the decision to adopt, we immediately felt a sense of peace.

We want to sincerely thank all of our friends and family for supporting us in this decision. We're so grateful for your thoughts and prayers, and for your willingness to help us spread the word.

It feels strange sort of "advertising" ourselves, but if you have a second, please share our profile and adoption blog with your friends and family.

Adoption Profile: https://www.itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/27589108/ourMessage.jsf
Blog: http://ericandcassadoption.blogspot.com

Keeping Busy w/the YW...

I've always loved working with the Young Women. They help keep me young. This is some of what we've been up to lately...

Bowling with the Laurels

Sledding in Idaho City. (How cute is Brook's hippo hat?)

Afterward - Checking out the old abandoned Antique Shop in town.

And coming up: We have a youth temple trip in Twin Falls (The Boise temple is under construction), YW Fundraiser, Girl's Camp at Pinetop, and right now we're working on a fabulous Ward Road Show. Stay tuned...

Crosby, The GSP

Our friends got Crosby, a German Shorthaired Pointer, just a few months before we got Blue. I was with Kristin when she picked him from the litter, and we both immediately knew he was the one.

He's not so little any more, but he's definitely still a puppy. In January, our friends asked us to dog-sit over the weekend while they traveled out of state for an interview.

A rare moment of rest after an exciting afternoon at the dog park.

It was fun to have a dog in the house again, but a weekend was about right. I forgot how much work puppies can be, and GSPs seem to have more energy than most. I only wish I had that much energy. Crosby's very lovable though, and I'll miss the little guy when they move this summer.

8 years, 8 cars

I originally created this post a couple of years ago. I'm editing and re-posting it now because it's now 2 years & 2 cars later.

As of today, after 5 years of sharing, Eric and I are finally a 2-car family again!

We've been married for 8 years, and we've owned 8 cars. The first was smashed by a neighbor's dune buggy. The second was sold so we could escape to our tropical island. The third was a mistake. The fourth had terrible gas mileage. The fifth had to stay on our tropical island. The 6th had to be sold back to the owner after we discovered that he had rolled the odometer back about 100k miles. And now we hope to enjoy a long happy future with 7 and 8.

Let us reflect...

1. 1998 Nissan Sentra ($5500)

Our first "married" car. This car was with us in Rexburg, Boise, Omaha, DC, back to Omaha & back to Boise. After 4 good years, I had to witness the death of our dear Sentra when a friend came ripping around the corner in his dune buggy, consequently slamming into our (innocently parked) car and then rolling and getting thrown from his. No humans were harmed.

2. 1993 Toyota Paseo ($800, from $1200)

"PUH-say-oh". A bazillion miles on this thing but an awesome lil' car! I'm suprised they stopped selling them in '97 because I've read nothing but great reviews about the Paseo. I think they're immortal.

3. 1997 Nissan Altima ( $1700, from $2000)

Not the smartest purchase. This was our first car on Saipan, and it wasn't a good match for the island. The weather & unpaved roads had taken it's toll on this little guy. Luckily, we were able to sell it in one piece.

4. 1999 Nissan Pathfinder ($4000, from $5500!)

I LOVED this car! Just didn't love filling it up - esp. since gas prices were of course at record highs during the Pathfinder era.

5. 2001 Toyota Echo ($3800 firm)

Thus, we replaced the brute Pathfinder with a little weanie Toyota Echo. It did get great gas, but it felt so light and cheap, I wasn't sad to let her go.

6. 1995 Lexus ES 300 ($3100, from $3500)

We loved this car ... until we discovered that our Russian salesman had turned back the odometer about 100k miles. Luckily, we were able to get our money back.

7. 1997 Lexus ES 300 ($3000, from $4500) | Picture from Wikipedia

So, the search began again. After spending the holidays in New Hampshire, we decided to extend our trip a couple of days in SLC to see if we could take advantage of the selection there. I made a long, detailed spread sheet with all of the cars worth considering. In the end, we ended up with yet another Lexus. This time 2 years newer. We were excited about the purchase until we checked the Carfax and discovered that the car had been in an accident and had a salvaged title. Apparently, the sellers weren't even aware of the salvaged title as the car was sold to them at a "friendly discount" from a previous employer who failed to mention the accident. As a result, the couple felt terrible about (unknowingly) misleading us and agreed to give us a massive discount. Fortunately, we've never had problems with the car, and at $3000, we got a steal of a deal!

8. 2009 Toyota Corolla (only 35k miles) | Picture taken by seller
  ($9500, from $10,300)

Our newest addition to the family. We purchased this car for several thousand under KBB. I know people are going to think we're crazy, but it's another salvaged title. It definitely makes me more nervous than it makes Eric, but it CAN also be a great deal. In this case, I think we're pretty safe. The car just had damage to the rear. The accident did not effect the frame or the alignment in any way. The trunk and bumper were replaced, and now it seems good as new (fingers crossed). Yes, salvaged titles are bad for resale, but we're not looking to sell it anytime soon.

Our 2011 Holiday Highlights

Just a few highlights from this year's festivities... (Sorry if this post is painfully boring; I guess it's more for my benefit than anyone else's)

• Eric's early "Just to say 'I love you' gift" (A village luminary from Red Envelope) ↓

• Idaho Stampede game ↓

Eric, Jason, Braden and Cooper got to go onto the court for a layup competition right before half-time

• Ugly Sweater Party ↓

• Winter Garden aGlow ↓

Friends, Kris & Brigham

• Night Out for the adults @ Olive Garden. Then, back to our pad for the gift exchange. ↓

Eric drew Robbie's name. We all attempted to keep a straight face when Rob opened Eric's fabulous white elephant gift from the Ugly Sweater party a few nights prior. I don't think she bought it, but she did get a good laugh.

• BSU Bowl Game party @ Jason's. We took a break at half time to check out Christmas lights. One street had ~7 houses all set to music. Here is a list of the best Christmas light displays in the valley.
• Christmas Eve ... Eve ... Mexican Fiesta (Viva la Chicken, enchiladas, chile rellenos, super nachos, jalapeno poppers, taquitos, fruit empanadas, etc. - yum!) ↓

Ella taking a whack @ Talia's piñata

• Massive Christmas Eve Breakfast, then kickball, vball & bball at the gym
• Christmas Day spent largely in the car driving to Vegas (~10hrs). With the help of a coupon and online discount, we got to stay at an incredible 5-star hotel on the strip. Then we couldn't resist a Vegas buffet. Well, Eric couldn't resist (he can't say no to all-you-can-eat lobster & crab legs). ↓

Aria Hotel & Casino

Christmas dinner!

New York, NY on Vegas Blvd (shot taken from the sunroof of our car)

In the Aria foyer

Bellagio Hotel fountain show set to Christmas music

• Dec. 26-31: On to Scottsdale, AZ
• Sid's blessing (Pallison's sweet, beautiful baby)  ↓

• Family Photos (Nelsons & Reynolds) ↓

• Mesa Temple and Game Night (Allison's family was kind enough to invite us to join them) ↓

• Desert hike (in perfect weather!) ↓

• McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park ↓

Savannah & Autumn on the carousel

Cute Trey & Autumn waiting for our train ride

• Town Dump (just Mary, Savannah and I) ↓

• Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix ↓

Savannah, glowing in the desert sun (wearing my shades)

Eric & sweet baby Syd (this is outfit #2 after a big blowout...Syd's, not Eric's)

• And Saturday we were "on the road again". After spending about 30 hours in the car (total), taking a few wrong turns, getting a speeding ticket, and having a rock ...and a bird... collide with our windshield, I think we'll be flying next time. But it was still a fun trip and definitely worth it! Thanks for the memories.

Thank you!

Eric and I just want to say thanks to all of our friends and family for being so sweet & sympathetic after we lost Blue.

The YW leaders stopped by and surprised us with a really generous cheer-up package.

Thanks Ty & Tiff for these gorgeous flowers! They hung in there for a long time, and they smelled  soo good! Definitely brightened my day(s).

This ornament was given to us by our sweet neighbors who fell in love with Blue right along with us. Such a sweet gift.

How Does it Feel to be Married to a Champion?

That's what Eric asked me last night - "How does it feel to be married to a champion?" - after their impressive Championship victory over "The Playmakers". The only team they lost to during the season, and they're really good, but our boys managed to battle their way to the top when it mattered.

Eric's flag football team, "The Weekend Warriors" are an awesome group of guys. Not only are they all really athletic, but they're also the nicest guys you'll ever meet. My brother Jason actually put this team together. He handpicked everyone from a group of guys that get together every Saturday morning, starting bright and early at 7am (hence the team name "Weekend Warriors"). Needless to say, Eric doesn't go to many of those early morning games, but he still managed to make the cut. Good thing he's family. In fact, half of the team was family.
Pictured below: Eric, the brother-in-law; Ty & Jason, brothers; and Dave, Jason's bro-in-law. Oh, and of course, Cooper, Jason's son, and the team's biggest fan.

Tiffany, I hope you don't mind that I stole this picture from you. (this pic was taken earlier in the season)
PS. Do you like the handiwork on Dave's pants?